Review: Breeding Clinic

Donation Clinic (Heatverse) by Alexis B. Osborne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet but smutty

A clerical error makes for a meet-cute. A reverse harem omega verse where swords cross. No 3rd act breakup or other tension, so the book feels a bit overly long.

Review: Ghost

Ghost by Sybil Bartel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yes, gushing is allowed

It is no secret that I love the way Ms Bartel can weave a story.

Ghost is no exception. Ms Bartel employs a subtle literary theme, using interesting words and even the lack of words, to convey a much bigger meaning.

Ghost stands strong in his protectiveness and his convictions. His FMC is a strong counterpoint to him. Bravery comes in many forms and loving a man in loneliness is a strength of the FMC acknowledged by Sybil.

You could read this as a standalone, but why would you given this great series?

You can read my reviews for Delta, Whiskey Zulu, Kilo and Alpha on my blog. 

 

Review: Kilo

Kilo by Sybil Bartel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow

Reading Sybil's books is like falling into poetry with all the best parts of a romance...the action, the domination, the heat.

And best of all, a HEA with such a deep emotional connection, it is insane.

Two threads: "Remember my voice" and the colour slate/ice. It links, it smoothes and it is all Kilo.

The Alpha Elite Series (11 books) is a firm favourite of mine and I own most of the books. You can find reviews for the other books also on this blog.

Review: Master of the Wilderness

Master of the Wilderness by Cherise Sinclair
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Surprising twist in the series

I have loved most of the Bear Flat books in this series..more so than those of Dark Haven.

I would suggest reading the series though as there are so many secondary characters who have unique stories that you may be otherwise lost.

And Wyatt and his kink? A nice change from some of the more formulaic BDSM tales...the suspense was good too. And the heroine was pretty non-traditional and made for a good change...

Review: Zulu

Zulu by Sybil Bartel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was phenomenal

Alpha possessive dominant hero. Suspense and action in a world just close enough to reality that you are on edge all the time. An innocent h, an impossible situation. You think you know what you would be getting with this book, but you would be wrong.

I don't think I would ever buy this as an audiobook. The writing is brilliant and has me hearing the characters, their accents, and the tone; it is an addictive feeling that ensures you cannot put this book down. Although I did admit defeat at 3:12am at 90%.

Finished it first thing this morning.

The heat between these two is off the charts, but this is a slow inferno and smut is actually very limited...

The book is character and suspense-driven but do not mistake the slow burn for boring in how this relationship pans out.

Review: Deserving Alaska

Deserving Alaska by Susan Stoker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An engaging read

Brick and Alaska's HEA is more than 20 years in the making. This friends-to-lovers trope is excellent if you don't like the back and forth this trope usually has. The friendship between Brick and Alaska evolved from childhood friends to pen pals after Brick lands in the hospital.

It is the action suspense element that brings Brick back into Alaska's life (or is it Alaska back in Brick's life?)

Both suffer from PTSD and this element is handled with care and much understanding in the book. I loved how much Brick showed his caring side. Brick and Alaska is a more balanced couple than most other protector/romantic suspense stories give us. There are much fewer of the alpha/jealous and possessive characteristics in Brick. But don't let that fool you into thinking the book has less action!

A treat to read.

Review: The Bequest and Hallowed Ground: The Guardians books #1 and #3

The Bequest by Hope Anika
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Excellent descriptive prose while keeping a good pace of suspense

Hope Anika is a new author for me. I am hooked on romantic suspense, and this book's blurb does an excellent job of setting the scene.

Our main characters are painfully flawed, and their thoughts of vengeance and struggle with anger are well told. Cheyenne is a strong female lead, and Will does not need to 'save' her. They balance each other, and a connection snaps in place pretty quickly. Although a bit insta love if viewed through the story timeline, the book is a more slow burn as the scorching heat between the MCs are only really dealt with in the last 15% of the book.

The rest of the book deals with the suspense and action of missing dirty bombs. An excellent twist on the whodunit.

The book is written in the third person, and we also get to know Rafe (whose guardianship Cheyenne takes on) very well. The writing is technically excellent, although the prose is quite descriptive, setting scene and context well, giving the book the feel of a somewhat slower pace.

 

Hallowed Ground by Hope Anika
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Worth the read

Slow burn romantic suspense, tinged with a bit of otherworldly charm. Similar to book #1, The Bequest, the book 'feels' like insta-love, but the relationship only features very late in the book.

I loved Sean and Ellie, who is a very strong female MC. They are both so honest in their personal struggles and grief. The suspense element was excellent, and the book had a good pace. Worth the read!

Review: Leap into the Dark

Leap into the Dark by Ann Jensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great addition

The Dark Sons MC series have alpha men and strong females that need just a little help. The book can be read as a standalone but is better when the series is read in order.

The story of Jade with the delectable duo, Ink and Hannibal is no different. Jade is a strong counterpoint for the male lead characters. She runs her own Parkour gym and able to show the members of the Dark Sons a thing or two. She does not hesitate to grab the adventure of being sandwiched between Ink and Hannibal, who have finally found a woman worthy of keeping. If Ink can put his trust issues aside long enough to connect emotionally.

I appreciated that the relationship formed organically before most of the trouble found Jade. There is a sense of family and loyalty in the book. Can't wait to read the next one.

Review: Knight Takes Queen

Knight Takes Queen by Lucy Leroux
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Liked, but not quite loved, the story

and the book needs a good edit. Which is really surprising given my love of the Singular Obsession series, and now the spin-off books.

We have been introduced to Caroline's character previously and our intrepid FBI agent Isaac is the perfect bad boy for the uptight hotel heiress. A bit of slow suspense together with a longer romance made for good reading. I loved the characters and they were well developed, but the book pace was somewhat slow. And, as mentioned, editing issues did detract from my enjoyment of the story.

Review: Her Marine Daddy

Her Marine Daddy by Lee Savino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet read

But not one to give you that cringy toothache. Cassandra meets Dune at a low moment in her life. Unknownst to Cassandra, Dune is close to her grandmother, and they meet again. 

I found the development of their relationship both quick but at a realistic pace for the circumstances. Noting that this is a shorter book, the tension is not heavy and quickly resolved. However, the reader is privy to Cassandra's emotional growth-and Dune shows his weaknesses honestly. The author uses a very light hand in regards to the daddy kink (no age regression). Dune slowly brings this side out of Cassandra with lots of consent. And that one scene! Who would have thought of chains!

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Review: Don't Play With Odin

  Don't Play With Odin by Cynthia Eden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Is romantic suspense dating a rom-com?

This is the second book in the Trouble For Hire series but can be read as a standalone. I read this with a permanent grin on my face. The story is super fun, suspenseful and sexy! It has a good whodunnit, a bit of growly protectiveness, a dash of rom-com fun and a good dose of sexy. The characters are quirky but they feel so real and relatable.

Maisey and Odin is the oddball couple that just fit. Maisey is an armchair sleuth who believes her neighbour is a serial killer. As the police don't believe her, she hires a Private Investigator. Enter Odin, whose first thought is that gorgeous Maisey is slightly crazy. However, he cannot leave her to her own devices.  The mystery suspense was not just a crutch for the HEA storyline; it had some meat. So yes, this is a bit insta-love, but I can totally forgive the author for this.

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Review: Fallen Dom

Fallen by Lexxi James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thoroughly enjoyable read

The book premise is based on a watcher forced to act when Kathryn wants to explore kink more. Although I loved Jake and Kathryn, I don't think the above central premise as discussed in the blurb was executed well. Jake and Kathryn were great together, loved their banter and the way they worked together. But the heat in the book is only about a medium and BDSM it was not. If BDSM or a reference to domination may put you off, you don't have to worry about it in this book as the suspense element was the dominant theme. Even if I did get lost a bit with who was who from the good guys.

I originally received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and recently bought a copy of the revised version now titled Fallen (Sinful Soldier Romance book 1) with a beautiful new cover.

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Review: Sleet Kitten

Sleet Kitten by S.J. Tilly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How did she do it?!

I love a possessive, slightly jealous, MINE! H. The downside is that most of these Heroes have a bit of a wild side and a-hole built in. Not Jackson. He is both sweet and caring and jealously possessive. I cannot believe what the author pulled off here. A book that is funny, characters that are relatable and oh so ordinary but with an extraordinary story.
Katelyn has some insecurities but don't dwell on them. She is sweet and sassy and fits Jackson to a T.

A great read that I highly recommend.

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Review: Owned

Owned by Nicole Edwards
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Totally intriguing

This will not be to everyone's taste, however if you are brave this will be a story for the ages.

While keeping your mind open, Nicole does an exceptional job in giving characters a depth that make you understand or at least, appreciate their particular proclivity.

"I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but looking at him was the equivalent of feasting on the richest, most decadent chocolate and knowing you wouldn’t gain an ounce of weight. Unbelievable and addicting."

Running from danger, Braelyn and her brother Ransom lands on Talon's decadent fantasy island. While the story is a two for one, with Ransom also getting his HEA, it is the sweet progression of the relationship between Talon and Braelyn that captures the reader' attention. Both learning more of themselves and evolving. I loved the dynamic between Talon, Braelyn and the possessions.

"The only choice they had to make was to give consent for me to choose for them. And that was the last decision I allowed them to make."

The story is sensual and decadent but each scene gives the reader a glimpse into the psyche of our characters. This left me enthralled.

Who would not want to be treated as a Queen?

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Review: Alpha

Alpha by Sybil Bartel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book! This author!

There are soo many things I want to say about both the author and the book!

It is the first in a new series of security operatives/ former military and Sybil Bartel can write an alpha military male like no other. I read all the books from her 3 other series; some more than once (Neil being a favourite of mine). 

Here we have a somewhat second chance, best friend's sister trope. But Sybil manages to make it so much more. I love the action scenes; the fast moving storyline and a jealous and possessive hero. But Sybil makes her heroines strong! They can totally stand on their own - and more, they own the H! 

Maila loses everything when her brother is the last of their family unit to pass. She is just 18 when this happens and gets locked in her grief. In my view, she is on a path of self-destruction although she - and later Adam - views it as a path of self-sacrifice. The amount of feeling that the author manages to impart in what is basically a good action/suspense romance boggles my mind. There are subtle subtexts and layers to this book that you can either fully appreciate or gloss over.

I know I am biased as Sybil writes the type of books I love, but that said, I highly recommend this book.

I do have one complaint - and it is a totally personal opinion - but I did not like the cover. There is just something with the small eyes that were totally off-putting for me.

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Round-up Review: Geeky heroines with Alpha males

When the mood strikes, I totally love to read about a quirky heroine, preferably a bit geeky, a bit socially awkward who is a perfect match for our Hero.  Perhaps this storyline resonates so much with us introverts as it gives us both a heroine that is molded in our image, but also the HEA that is not so easy in real life. 

This week I had the opportunity to read 2 such stories:

 Bourbon Bliss by Claire Kinsley and Lucy Score 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The setting is the odd town of Bootleg Springs and forms part of a series of standalones that have an overarching storyline. June understands numbers, statistics and data, but not people.  And George "GT" Thompson is the proverbial Jock retired from football due to an injury which he hopes to nurse well in the hot springs of Bootleg Springs. The story is cute, with a slow burn romance.  I loved the interaction between George and June.  George shows that he is more than a Jock and can rival June's intellect, but more, he understands her like almost no-one else.  There is some mystery and drama on the path to their HEA but with a cast of superb secondary characters, this story does have quite a bit of heft to it. This is, however, not a quick read so do have some time as you would not want to put this book down.

Caught in the Dark by Ann Jensen 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Here our heroine is much more badass than in Bourbon Bliss. A hacker by trade, sexually inexperienced Angela wants to explore her wants and needs and the type of man that can fulfil them by dancing in the strip club of the Dark Sons MC. Here she meets Tek who also turns out to be her new boss' boss. There are kidnappings, rescues, electronic espionage and a good bit of sexual role playing in this book. Although Tek "saves" our intrepid heroine, he does assume he is much more important to her safety than he really is. Angela is fully capable of saving herself. I do loved the HEA in this book!

Any similar reads you can recommend?

Review: Nixon's Promise

Nixon's Promise by Riley Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Total book hangover

I read this book twice already! I loved this book. Nix is just the right kind of alpha guy. Hot, protective, wise, helpful with the largest dash of gentleman I have read in a MMC in a very long time! And McKenna? Our heroine is feisty, independent, totally a Brainiac mixed with tomboy swagger. I loved their story. The suspense element was slightly long winded but the swoon worthy romance made up for it.

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Review: Alpha's Moon

Alpha's Moon by Renee Rose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Some spice with your sweet

Sadie is the sweet kindergarten teacher in need of a fake boyfriend to ward off a creepy ex. Deke just happens to be drawn to her sweetness and steps in to help. While Sadie learns she is a strong woman that can make herself heard, Deke fights his inner demons on the way to their HEA.

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Review: Wilderness

Wilderness by Lynn Burke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dark in a totally different way

Gritty, this book brings you the baser needs and feelings. Although, acceptance is a running theme, being close to nature both physically and emotionally brings healing. Our characters fight to survive and in surviving, feel alive. I loved Brock and Jesse; stubborn but so right for each other.

Trigger warning for assault.. It is brutal.

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